Definition: still

Apparatus for distilling alcohol. The distiller's still is the apparatus used by owners authorised to distil their own marc and fruit, a privilege that was abolished in France in 1960. The Charente still, designed for repasse or double heating distillation, consists of a copper boiler (cucurbit) heated directly by gas. It is topped by a bell (cornue with a lid or cap), extended by a swan neck and a coil surrounded by a cooling liquid. The condensed vapour is collected at its end. This type of still is used to make cognac, malt whisky, calvados and marc.The continuous still consists of two columns, a distillation column or condenser and a rectification column, both connected by a coil. A back-and-forth movement is created between these two columns, producing spirits such as Armagnac and gin.